The present invention pertains to compositions for making packaging film, and more particularly to a thin polymeric film suitable for replacing polyvinyl chloride film especially in packaging applications.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has long been used in many applications in the packaging art. One particularly widespread application for PVC is the use of such material as an overwrap material for trayed retail cuts of meat and other food products in a retail environment such as a supermarket.
(PVC) has several desirable properties for this use. For example, it has excellent burn-through resistance, optics and good elasticity and stretch properties at use temperatures.
Unfortunately, PVC also has several disadvantages, including the production of hydrogen chloride gas during heat sealing and the generally corrosive effects of such gases in the packaging room. Extractables from the PVC into the packaged food product have also become of concern.
It would be of great benefit to the packaging industry, and particular to applications requiring an instore film for overwrapping trayed food products, to provide a film with many of the advantages of PVC but without the disadvantages described above.
The inventors have discovered that a blend of propylene polymer or copolymer, and ethylene copolymer, is useful in improving the burn-through resistance of a film made from the blend.
The inventors have also discovered that a relatively thin polymeric film, including a layer of the blend combined with an outer heat sealable layer, can be made using the inventive blend.
Processes for producing oriented films, and oriented films themselves are disclosed in many patents including the following patents of interest.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,044 (Pahlke) mentions thin films of thicknesses less than 1 mil such as 0.5 mils, and discloses a double bubble method for biaxially orienting thermoplastic films including the steps of producing a primary tubing which is inflated by introducing air into the interior thereof, and a cooling ring 22, as well as squeeze rolls 34 and 28, with rolls 34 having a greater speed than rolls 28. Between the two pairs of squeeze rolls is a reinflated secondary bubble. If annealing is desired, the tubing can be reinflated to form a bubble 70.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,604 (Pahlke) is a patent based on a divisional application which was derived from the same priority application as the '044 patent described above, and discloses the same information described above for the '044 patent.
U.S. Patent No. 4,258,166 (Canterino et al) discloses a uniaxially oriented plastic film material with improved strength and clarity in the direction of orientation preferably comprising homopolymers and copolymers of ethylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,076 (Gash) discloses monoaxially oriented polypropylene film laminated to a monoaxially oriented high density polyethylene film, the films produced by for example tubular blowing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,824 (Bonis) discloses a thermoformable coextruded multilayer structure useful for thermoforming into containers, the structure having polyolefin coextruded with a high impact polystyrene layer. A five layer structure is shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,439 (Castelein) discloses a coextruded laminate having a sheet of polypropylene and a sheet of a mixture of high impact polystyrene, crystalline polypropylene, and styrene/dienic monomer block copolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,177 (Boice) discloses a monoaxially oriented shrink film having a core layer of butadiene styrene copolymer, outer layers of ethylene propylene copolymer, and intermediate bonding layers of ethylene copolymer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition which can be included in a thermoplastic film useful as an overwrap material for trayed retail cuts of meat and other food products in a super market or other retail environment.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a composition of matter which has good burn-through resistance when included in a film.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a film having excellent optical properties, specifically excellent gloss and clarity.